Why volunteer?
Volunteering is not just about helping in a charity shop or serving meals. You could read to children at a local school, create new walkways at a stately home or perhaps arrange music for the percussion section of a brass band!
Volunteers not only help local organisations and groups, but volunteering also brings many benefits for volunteers themselves.
Today, more and more people turn to volunteering because they want to get involved in their community, help a cause they believe in or to make new friends and have fun.
If you’re looking for a change of direction, volunteering can be a great way to try out a new area of work to see if it’s for you. It’s a great way to gain experience in a new field of work and could impress a potential employer.
You don’t need specific skills or qualifications, organisations will offer you all the help and guidance you need.
Most voluntary opportunities are for just a few hours a week. This offers you the flexibility to choose how many hours you’d like to help out and when.
So, what are the benefits?
- Develop new skills or brush up on old ones
- Sample a new career
- Meet new people and make new friends
- Enhance your job prospects
- Boost confidence and self esteem
A survey carried out by TimeBank through Reed Executive showed that among 200 of the UK’s leading businesses:
Taken from www.ervas.org.uk
- 73% of employers would employ a candidate with volunteering experience over one without
- 94% of employers believe that volunteering can add to skills
- 58% say that voluntary work experience can actually be more valuable than experience gained in paid employment
- 94% of employees who volunteered to learn new skills had benefited either by getting their first job, improving their salary, or being promoted.
To find out more about volunteering and the opportunities in your area, please contact ERVAS on 01482 871077or office@ervas.org.uk
To browse through opportunities in your area, log on to the national opportunities website www.do-it.org.uk
